Saturday Scenes

On the 8th of June in 1856, Norfolk Island was settled for the third time in recorded history.

The island was originally settled by East Polynesian seafarers who arrived in the 14th or 15th century. After a few generations, they disappeared.

The British claimed the island in 1788 and used it as a penal settlement. However, it was considered too remote and too costly. The British transportation of convicts was replaced with prisons in the UK and the last convicts at Norfolk Island were removed in May 1855, at which point it was abandoned.

Meanwhile, in 1790 the nine mutineers on the HMS Bounty had discovered that charts showing the location of the Pitcairn Islands were inaccurate by over 170 miles/300km. Knowing they would thus not be found, they settled the islands with eighteen Tahitian “companions” in 1767. By the time the island was rediscovered, the descendents were already outgrowing the islands.

Norfolk Island – Wikipedia

On 8 June 1856, the next settlement began on Norfolk Island. These were the descendants of Tahitians and the HMS Bounty mutineers, including those of Fletcher Christian. They resettled from the Pitcairn Islands, which had become too small for their growing population. They left Pitcairn Islands on 3 May 1856 and arrived with 194 persons on 8 June. The Pitcairners occupied many of the buildings remaining from the penal settlements, and gradually established traditional farming and whaling industries on the island. Although some families decided to return to Pitcairn in 1858 and 1863, the island’s population continued to grow. They accepted additional settlers, who often arrived with whaling fleets.

On the 8th of June in 2013, the population of Norfolk Island is 2,169 people. And coincidentally, if you add those numbers up and double them and subtract two, you get EXACTLY the number of photographs sent in last Saturday:

And here’s the ever expanding population of people who take glorious photographs:

• RealCainMosni
• ClareRevell
• exRAFairman
• akrabat
• slimatshelfsw
• martin_chrisj
• Pewari
• elibrody
• maidbloke
• icklemouse
• JeannieKelly
• davey_steven
• __ProjectMonkey
• CarolineBignell
• rnout
• jamesnnb
• noirem
• dudleypj
• SockYarnShop
• HeideSpruck
• WadeyLady001
• bridgeyuk
• Jo_1067
• amberdine
• drewbenn
• pendrift
• phpGargoyle
• carocat
• DyerRock
• panelpatter
• CallumDG
• HughGW
• dndtsa
• akaSylvia

Every June(ish), we do a special event called Self-Portrait Saturday! This year, I declare it to be the 22nd of June. So get some practice turning the camera around and I’ll post more details next week.

Also, we want to see more photographs of more places! Simply tweet the location of your photograph (taken on a Saturday) to @SatScenes to be included.

Follow @SatScenes for more details and you’ll never miss another edition.